Recap: Marshall vs. UAB

Huntington, WV (SportsNetwork.com) - Rakeem Cato threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Marshall Thundering Herd easily dismissed the UAB Blazers, 56-14, in a Conference USA battle at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Cato converted 14-of-20 passes for 276 yards and also carried the ball once for a six-yard score for the Herd (6-3, 4-2 C-USA) as they became bowl eligible. Marshall had three players rush for over 100 yards, beginning with Steward Butler with 139 and a score on a mere seven carries. Essray Taliaferro delivered 118 yards and two TDs on 12 attempts, followed by Kevin Grooms with 108 yards and a score.

This was the first time in program history that Marshall had three players all over 100 yards rushing. The squad's 657 yards of total offense ranks sixth in school history as well.

The Blazers (2-7, 1-4) were paced by quarterback Jonathan Perry who connected on 10-of-17 for 176 yards and a score through the air, adding another 54 yards on nine rushing attempts. Jordan Howard produced a team-best 123 yards rushing on 22 attempts.

Marshall scored a touchdown on four straight possessions to open the contest as Taliaferro reached the end zone on a seven-yard run early in the first quarter, followed by a 39-yard TD pass from Cato to Eric Frohnapfel midway through the period. Grooms chipped in with a 71-yard TD run and Cato added a six-yard scoring strike to Tommy Shuler, the receiver finishing with six catches for an even 100 yards.

The scoring run by the Herd was interrupted at the 8:59 mark of the opening frame however, when Darrin Reaves scored on a two-yard run for the visitors. Reaves added a 32-yard touchdown reception in the second frame as well, but following that Cato and Grooms countered with a nine-yard TD pass play of their own to give Marshall a commanding 35-14 advantage at the break.

The second half belonged to the Thundering Herd as they closed out the game with three more TDs, starting with a 16-yard run by Taliaferro, followed by Cato's six-yard effort on the ground and a 49-yard scamper by Butler.

Marshall's quick-strike offense controlled the ball for just under 21 minutes, due to the fact that the unit generated an average of more than 12 yards per snap.